Smoke Closes Buckingham BBQ

COLUMBIA - Smoke closed a local barbecue restaurant Monday after a smoker fire sent fumes into the main restaurant building.

The fire occurred in the smoker outside Buckingham Smokehouse BBQ on Buttonwood Drive. Fire officials said the smoker is self-contained outside the restaurant in a brick structure. Firefighters put a hose into the smoker to extinguish the fire, which took about five minutes to put out, according to Battalion Chief Fire Marshal Brad Frazier.

"There was smoke in the building. It's hard to tell if there's any smoke damage, but there was quite a bit of smoke in the building," Frazier said.

Employees and patrons were forced to exit the restaurant, but no one reported any injuries.

The cause of the fire is not yet known; a fire investigative team is conducting a search.